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Wednesday, August 31, 2011

I saw the druid pictured above in SW and I had to get a screenshot. What an unexpected yet awesome dye job when combining Fandral's Flamescythe with a Disgusting Oozeling pet! Blizzard may see this as a bug and correct it later down the road, but I think it looks kick ass. It really gives the firecat form some extra flare haha. This makes me even more eager to get that staff as an offspec weapon!

Saturday, August 27, 2011

With the news of a revamped Darkmoon Faire coming in the next content patch, and the new DMF pets possibly requiring reputation, I've decided to try and raise my reputation as close to exalted as possible. This means a lot of herb collecting and card creating, since at the time of this writing, DMF deck turn ins sound like the "best" way to get my reputation up.

The next faire will be in two weeks, which doesn't leave me a whole lot of time, but starting now is better than nothing. Besides, what else do I have to do? :P

Sure, I could just wait and see how they update the DMF and hope that they also change how to rep grind with that particular faction, but I really don't want to take any chances. They could make it easier or they could make it harder/more annoying, or they may not even make any alterations to how reputation is gained with the faire at all. Until I can test it out on the PTR, I figure it doesn't hurt to prepare myself for the worst case scenario which would be a long, long grind.

It's going to be quite tedious at the current rate that I'm going at, but since I don't have any other pets I can hunt for at the moment, this is the next best thing I guess. The next in-game event will be Brewfest which starts a couple weeks after the next DMF, so I have some time before I need to start worrying about a new pet added to that event.

With my luck, I bet the new DMF pets won't require reputation and/or the rep grind will be made easier in patch 4.3. Ahhh, sometimes I have to wonder if I enjoy doing things the hard way lol.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

We all knew it would be, the one, the only, Murkablo! (I still keep pronouncing his name wrong. I know it should be like "Di-a-blo" but instead of "Murk-ablo"... for some reason it's stuck in my head as "Murk-a-blo" lol.)

Blizzard officially announced his status as the Blizzcon 2011 in-game redeemable item today, along with a surprise Starcraft 2 in-game item.

There are some who are rather disappointed with this pet, while others are glad to own yet another baby murloc. Me? I'm somewhere in between. One thing that would definitely push me over into the Murkablo supporter side would be an update and change to some of this companion's idle animations. But that's just me. ;)

Overall, I'm just glad they finally confirmed this year's pet! Then again, we all kinda knew it would be Murkablo. You just can't contain a fiery baby murloc afterall. :P

My instincts were right. I just knew there would be a Darkmoon Faire overhaul in the near future! Those faire balloons that were datamined in the previous patch just screamed: "keep an eye out for me, update coming soon!"

If you haven't heard already, in the next patch (4.3), the Darkmoon Faire is getting revamped. New quests, activities, tickets, and even location. But the biggest news? NEW PET(s)!

So far Blizzard has revealed only one possible new pet, a "fez-wearing monkey" that will be available for purchase with new faire tickets. It may also require some level of reputation with the carnies. There may be other prerequisites for any other companions that are added to the faire, but we'll just have to wait to find out more.

I can't wait to test all of this out on the PTR! If a certain reputation is necessary, I may have some trouble thoroughly testing it, though. I knew I should have turned in more tickets and items to raise my rep, but I kept putting it off. Well, it's come back to bite me in the butt now lol. Now I can only hope that it will at least be interesting and fun grinding out the rep with the updated Darkmoon Faire.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

I was browsing through WoWInsider and I came across The Queue. Mathew McCurley's short yet very common tale of a non-collector getting bitten by the bug is yet another example of what happens when Blizzard tacks on awesome pet rewards for achievements. Without any incentive, I'm pretty sure most non-pet collectors wouldn't bother with non-combat companions. It's not a good or a bad thing, it's just an observation.

Heck, even a few of my guildies who normally wouldn't really bat an eye at most pets have made it their own personal goal to reach a certain number for a certain pet. Particularly the newer ones (Nuts and the Celestial Dragon).

I can't speak for everyone else, but as an avid pet collector who would collect even if there were no rewards other than the pets themselves, I'm grateful to have even more friends and guildmates I can talk pet talk with. :P

Besides, even if they're only in it for a certain companion or end reward, once you start, it sticks with you. You'll be forever on the lookout for that next kick-ass, have-to-have pet. So they can claim they're not addicted and no, they're not "real" collectors... but time will reveal that it's not that easy to shake the pet collecting bug. :D

Since there's a lull in pet-related news lately, I decided to finally take my Sprite Darter Hatchling on that adventure to Whispering Forest, as I promised him a while ago. Needless to say, he enjoyed it immensely. :P

Monday, August 22, 2011

A random and silly thought came to me after my previous post: Petception.

I'm guessing most have heard of the film "Inception", yea? Following that theme, I wonder what Blizzard's version of "Petception" would be. A pet within a pet within a pet. :P It'd be interesting to see what kind of neat and creative interpretations of that idea they come up with.

The best I can come up with would be a sort of Russian doll type of pet (Matryoshka doll). On summon it would produce one doll pet (or any type of critter/miniature item), but with the right emote or action, another springs forth from it. And with another emote or action, yet another pet emerges so that eventually you have a little companion following, but all from one single summoned pet.

Not only would it satisfy the desire of many to have more than one pet out at the same time, it would still fall under the "rule" of having only one summoned non-combat companion out. Granted, it'd be a few duplicates of a single pet, but personally... I'd take what I can get. :P

Now that Blizzard seems to have confirmed that the watery-instances are a no-go (for now), it makes me wonder if the "fish in a bubble" companion is still on the table for the next TCG common loot card. Granted, the TCG game doesn't have to directly correlate with WoW, but the trend thus far has shown that there are at least some common factors and aspects that tie one to the other. Still, Blizzard could choose to implement TCG water pets even without an underwater storyline.

Speaking of water and watery pets...

Does anyone else remember back in 2010 when Ghostcrawler mentioned a baby seahorse companion is in the works and might be available after Cata's release? Without an underwater themed instance or plot device, I wonder how and if that pet will make it into the game.

Rather than a "fish in a bubble", perhaps a baby seahorse in a bubble is what we will get as the next common loot card? It would be a pretty neat and tidy way of wrapping both up into a nice package for collectors. (Not that GC promised us a baby seahorse or anything... :P)

While we're on the topic of "promises" and such (and I use "promise" very loosely because let's face it, there really was NO promise made... just a hint of a "maybe"), there is also the issue of the missing mini-elemental pets that was mentioned would become available along with the return of the Searing Scorchling. So far there's been no sign of these companions, not even datamined item IDs.

There wasn't a definite date or time attached to the release for any of these pets, so maybe they won't make an appearance this expansion. That doesn't mean we can't still hope for future expacs, though. Blizzard has surprised us time and time again, so I haven't lost all faith that they keep to their word. Still, there's that lingering doubt that maybe the aforementioned companions was all talk and false hope.

So what can collectors expect in the way of future pets? We can definitely count on developers releasing cool and new companions down the line, that's for sure. Whether or not the mini-elementals or a fish/seahorse pet is part of that release, we'll just have to wait and see.

The waiting game is just another aspect of collecting gameplay, and if I've learned anything from gaming, it's that you don't truly lose until you give up. So it's us vs. time, and only time will tell what new pets await us.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

First off: pet-related - Interested in winning a Spectral Tiger Cub? Druum is having a contest on her blog and the cute kitty is one of the prizes you could win! Go check it out for more details and rules.

Last but not least: About the Transmogrification preview... if only we could use it to add temporary doodads and other vanity items to existing non-combat pets! Mini-hats and shiny new collars for all!

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

It's been about two weeks since it was reported that the Blizzcon virtual ticket was accidentally sending out first Deathy and then Murkablo. There hasn't been an official update to this issue yet, but from the silence on the threads about the mis-sent items, it probably means players are no longer being mailed either pet when purchasing the live-stream ticket. I'm also going to guess that any companions sent to players during this confusion were taken back by Blizzard (even if players learned the pet).

Until there's another official update, we'll just have to leave it at that I guess.

On a side note, I find it strange that even though Murkablo was unintentionally leaked during the sale, Blizzard still hasn't announced the Blizzcon 2011 redeemable item. This may mean one of two things: they're either really very busy with other matters, or they're changing what the item is due to the virtual ticket accident. With the convention only a couple months away, I'm not entirely sure there's time for the latter, so my money is on the former reason. Like I mentioned in another post, I don't think vanity pets are very high on Blizzard's priority list still. This includes special event companions, although they probably have more weight behind them than ordinary in-game collectables.

There could be another reason we have yet to hear about the Blizzcon redeemable item, but no other reasons are coming to mind right now. Well, we'll see.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

we're in between patches, and unless there are more newly discovered bugs or changes, there's not much pet-related stuff to report. patch 4.3 could be on the horizon, but there's no guarantee that it will bring us new pets or information related to non-combat companions.

i suppose that's just the nature of collecting, though. unlike PVE where blizzard is constantly needing to pump out new material to keep interest up in the game, vanity pets and items are still seen more of... well, vanity. it's a way of gameplay for some, but still not enough to make pet creation/installation a priority or be placed as a definite "to do" on blizzard's list of upcoming content. that being said, i think they're definitely getting better when it comes to consistently adding new pets compared to previous expansions where months and months could go by without so much as a hint of a new companion. dare i say maybe we've gotten a little spoiled when it comes to new pets on a regular basis? :P

it should be kept in mind for those who've collected all that they can for now, that while we don't have a whole lot to go on at this very moment, the future does hold some pet goodies that we simply have to be patient and wait for. there's the blizzcon redeemable pet, the upcoming throne of the tides common companion loot card, and we can't forget all those previously datamined pets that could possibly pop up at any time. it's just a matter of time before we become overwhelmed with the number of pets we need to collect again!

one thing that i hope 4.3 does NOT bring... another mount hyjal-styled daily unlocking storyline. it was interesting and satisfying for one patch, but some variety would be nice. rather than a repetition of dailies, perhaps just one long, lore-filled, heartfelt quest chain with a companion side quest snuck in there somewhere? the overwhelming success of the lashtail hatchling quest chain could be a model and provide some inspiration for future pets, yea? or maybe some ingenious and innovative developer at blizzard has a totally new way of obtaining vanity pets that they're saving for an upcoming patch. who knows?

i'm completely at a loss why any pet would have a one hour soulbound duration on it. is it a new system that blizzard is testing out to help prevent scamming when it comes to the sale of redeemable items for gold? is one of these datamined items just a placeholder/dummy item and only one will actually go live?

there are some ideas on the facebook discussion page that the guardian cub could be part of a timed quest/achievement and the resulting reward is the un-soulbound yet unique item?

so on top of still being in the dark about where this pet will come from, add another mystery of the soulbound time duration. all i know is that i'm confused as hell and would love some insight on this pet!

i really can't wait for blizzard to provide us with even a hint or juicy tidbit about the guardian cub. maybe it won't be as exciting as i'm hoping it will be, but right now anything would be better than nothing.

ps: if you use the latest version of modelviewer, i hear the guardian cub is absolutely ADORABLE (x1000000).

Friday, August 5, 2011

it's official! wowtcg.com has information on the next TCG expansion deck, throne of the tides, up on their website. the release date is set for some time in october of this year.

although there are rumors floating around that the companion loot will be a fish in a bubble, there's still no detailed information on what the loot cards will be. but as cryptozoic stated before, the common loot card will definitely be a non-combat pet.

so on top of the blizzcon redeemable item, pet collectors be on the look out for a possibly new TCG pet to add to your critter army this october!

while we're on the topic of this year's blizzcon redeemable item (likely to be murkablo), i think it's about time we sit down and have a "serious" talk about his idle animations.

i'm concerned about murkablo's self-esteem levels once he realizes that he's not going to be the top fiery vanity pet. it's obvious he was trained by the same person that trained deathy, and while that's probably cost-effective and efficient... it's a bit of a let down.

don't get me wrong, i enjoy deathy's fire-breathing, smoke-ring-burping ways, but i enjoy them when deathy is doing them. murkablo, on the other hand, deserves to have his own unique animations imho.

not to mention i can't imagine deathy being too pleased that another companion is downright copying him and stealing his thunder fire. murkablo also probably won't be too happy that he will always be "just that other fire breathing companion", instead of "that awesome diablo, chaos-bringing, hell demon pet". note: correct me if i'm wrong, but i believe murkablo has at least one unique animation which is blowing a smoke-ring and then hopping through it like a hoop.

i admit i haven't played the previous diablo games, so i'm no expert on diablo and his abilities, but i've talked to some friends who played the game before and i found out that the boss has a pretty neat fire shockwave type ability. after watching some youtube videos on the diablo boss fight, there seem to be a few unique animations that murkablo could pick up and learn. but yes, one of them is still a fire breath that's the same as deathy's fire breath, so it doesn't seem like that one is avoidable. some other ideas for murkablo: he could interact with other diablo-themed pets, summoning a hellfire, etc.

regardless if murkablo gets to have his own new set of animations or not, i'm still excited to add him to my collection. i know it's not blizzard's top priority to make each non-combat pet extra unique and special, and it probably takes a lot of energy and time away from other projects to change/update companions. would it be a nice treat if murkablo learns a new set of tricks? definitely. but it's not the end of my world if he continues to live in deathy's shadow (let's face it.. deathy knew all these fiery animations first, while murkablo's just a copycat :P).

Thursday, August 4, 2011

there still hasn't been an official update on the status of the deathies and murkablos that some players received after purchasing the 2011 blizzcon virtual ticket, however people are reporting that these two pets are being removed from their collection and/or mailboxes. it seems blizzard will not be letting players keep either pet at the moment.

there are also a few reports from those that bought the live-stream ticket, that the receipt states the pet/in-game redeemable item will be mailed to them on the first day of blizzcon. if this is true, this is probably the cause of the entire mix up.

previously, those who purchase the virtual ticket had to wait a few weeks to months after blizzcon was over to receive their redeemable pet/mount/item.

but if this year blizzard plans on making it available as soon as blizzcon starts, then something must have gone wrong in their system. it seems likely that deathy was still attached to the ticket, and after updating and replacing deathy with murkablo, their ticketing system wasn't sorted out properly and it accidentally sent out murkablo earlier than intended. even if this isn't how it went down, it doesn't sound as if blizzard will be letting anyone keep the early released murkablo.

personally, i don't see any issue with blizzard recalling these d3 themed pets, AS LONG as this doesn't interfere with players receiving it when the actual time comes for them to legitimately collect their redeemable item. if by rescinding them now, it prevents these players from receiving it on time later... blizzard is going to have a whole bunch of angry virtual ticket holders on their hands.

for now, we'll just have to wait and see what blizzard has to say. whatever their announcement, response, or update may be... i certainly hope they release it soon.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

not only is deathwing running rampant all over azeroth, his smaller counterpart, deathy, is sneaking into this year's blizzcon virtual ticket package!

"We have received a few posts as to whether or not players who purchased the 2011 BlizzCon Virtual Ticket should be receiving the 2010 BlizzCon pet, Deathy.

You all have posed an excellent question to which we are inquiring about now. We will update the thread when we have further information." - Harlsoco

so far it's unclear if this deathy is redeemable and if blizzard will let players who have managed to claim a "bugged" deathy keep him. it would be heartbreaking for him to be forcibly unadopted from players, but at the same time letting players keep him could be seen as unfair since these players would essentially be getting an older blizzcon pet that's no longer available (other than through ebay) as well as this year's in-game redeemable item. two pets for the price of one? some may call shenanigans.

we'll have to wait for more details from blizzard about this.

UPDATE: according to the thread linked above, it sounds as if blizzard has started to gather up those wild deathies. this means players will probably NOT get to keep deathy if they received him as part of the blizzcon 2011 virtual ticket package. (if you received him as part of the 2010 event, you should be fine)

interestingly enough, a totally new bug seems to be popping up. a few players are reporting that they've received murkablo instead of deathy after purchasing the blizzcon 2011 virtual ticket. given that blizzard hasn't even announced this pet as the official in-game redeemable item... i'd imagine something went terribly wrong for such a large slip up as this to happen.

adding any pet to a collection should be a feel good moment, but this seems extra special.

today, blizzard announced that through sales of the cenarion hatchling, over $1.9 million USD was donated to the american red cross's japan earthquake and pacific tsunami relief efforts! :)

this is a somewhat touchy topic since there are varying opinions about this, but i prefer to focus on the larger picture. many fed their obsession interest in pet collecting and at the same time helped aid those in need. whether one or the other was the main goal of each individual shouldn't matter. what matters is that in the end, good intentions were involved and directly or indirectly, we helped.

if you haven't bought the hatchling yet, don't worry. it's still on sale from the official blizzard PetStore. it should be noted that any further sales of this companion won't be donated to the red cross, as the donation period has ended.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

tonight is full of wondering and speculation, huh? well, at least until blizzard confirms some stuff for us. :P that being said, the following is all based on my findings but nothing's been confirmed yet so don't take it as fact!

after reading vegi's comment on WarcraftPets, i decided to do some digging about the next possible TCG expansion. so far i'm coming up with "throne of the tides"...? correct me if i'm wrong, but it makes sense, right? after firelands, supposedly what comes next is the water-y tier and instances.

"The three new loot cards for this set are good ones. The epic is the Tallstrider Mount. This is a unique mount not available in the MMO currently. The rare is Throwing Star Fish which players can throw at one another, and it will “stick” in them, which will be fun. The common is Fish in a Bubble which is a cosmetic pet puffer fish in a bubble. SOURCE: http://www.wcscdist.com/product_info.php?products_id=6255"

while i can't confirm any of the loot mentioned above, i can somewhat confidently say that "throne of the tides" will be an upcoming TCG expansion (release date TBA). wowtcg.com has this expansion deck listed as part of an upcoming TCG tournament:

"Day 2 (Saturday, November 12th): 6 rounds of Draft format play. Each draft will be run with 3 booster packs of Throne of the Tides." - source

i have yet to find any official blizzard or cryptozoic mention of this potential deck or of the loot found within, so again.. take this all with a grain of salt until we hear some official news.

for now, we'll have to just wait and see. but it's certainly exciting to hear a possible fish pet is on the way! a fish in a bubble, blowing bubbles. XD to quote bubbles from finding nemo: "bubbles. bubbles. bubbles. my bubbles!" have i said bubbles enough yet? BUBBLES!!

wowinsider says that it will be murkablo, the diablo 3 themed murloc pet that was datamined in patch 4.2, BUT blizzard has not confirmed this... yet.

with the announcement of diablo 3 testing and the new d3 ah system, it's likely that this game will be released "soon" or at the very least announced at this year's blizzcon. with that in mind, it's not unlikely that blizzard would hand out d3 themed redeemable pets as part of this year's blizzcon goodie bag.

on the other hand, murkablo could be part of the collector's edition special gift (like mini thor was for sc2's collector's edition).

either way, the only sure thing right now is that blizzard should be announcing what this year's in-game redeemable item is soon. on top of the diablo 3 announcements, they've opened up the 2011 blizzcon virtual ticket sale as well.